New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-17
THE NORTH RIVER BLAZING.
COSTLY BREAK IN THE STANDARD OIL PIPE.
NEw-YoRK CENTRAL FREIGHT PIERS AND COAL
wHARvEs AND TWO BARGEs BURNED-

NEw-YoRK CENTRAL FREIGHT PIERS AND COAL
wHARvEs AND TWO BARGEs BURNED-
THE LOSS NEARLY 100000.
"H boys! see the river Hrc!" exclaimed one Of the
at work In the top Of of the grain elevators Of
tho New-York Central and Hudson River Rail-
road Company at West Sixty -thirdst and the
North River at 1890 m. yesterday. A
dense column Of black smoke with fringe OF
red flames its base from the North Rivers surface
about hundred feet from tho shore and midway be-
tween the oompanys freight piers at siIty-hfhst and
the coal wharf at eevenetht increased In size rap
idly until shut out all view Of the GOAL wharves from
the elevators "Look, look! tho fire b spreading"
was the cry which repeated through the big grain
store houses and along the freight wharvea
1t LOOKED indeed the North River had taken fire and
was burning up. Small boys who were playing In tho
Rversids Park north Of Seventy secondst thought the
end Of the world hand and homo to carry tho
news to their parcnta
The men along the river front knew at the
outset what the trouble was. They had noticed
oil floating the water for several days and
plain that the oil burning The Standard Oil
Companys pipe, through which oil pumped from Penn
syyan the bed Of tho North River atthat point
believed that the pipe had broken and that oil was
escaping the surface Of the river The oil had been
ignited by sparks from tug-boat which
towing coal barges across the river from
Hoboken In moment the water was covered with fire
all about the boat and the barges The captain OF the
turned the craft about and started toward the mid
die Of the river He managed to save his boat and the
barges from destruction
The tide running out but there was an eddy be-
tween the freight piers and the coal wharf and the bulk
of the oil was in tho open space The flames spread
quickly beyond tho eddy and first attacked the coal
wharf Then they reached the wooden bukhead and ran
along Pier g. tho most norherly one OF the freight
pers The pier was built piles and had one-story
freight she'd 500 feet long and 100 feet wide It It was
used entirely for westbound freight and had been nearly
cleared Friday night Five cars loaded with fert-
under shed aud there few bales and
boxes OF general merchandise besides Before any effort
could be made to savc the pier It was on
fire along It's entire length Calls for the
Firc Department had been sent out but the
situation OF tho burning piers such that the engines
could not respond quickly. third alarm was sounded
at Fiftynnthst and Eleventhavc, and dozen engines
which called there sent up through the rail-
road yard past the elevators To sixtyseventhsI Iho
nreboats Havemeyer and Zophar Mills got to the fire
ahead OF most OF the land engines Engines
Nos. &c aud AZ went to Seventy seconi-st and
Tenhavo and pumped water through 800 feet of hose
dow the hill TO tho coal wharf.
At first the efforts OF the hremen seemed futile. No
amount could affect flames which burned on tho
surface OF tho river and the burning piers
were already half consumed when tho engines
began TO work II began to lock as II all
st would be destroyed. Tho smoke of the burning oil
obscured all the freight sheds above the big elevators,
and the heat OF the flames so Intense rs to drive tho
flremen back from the bulkhead time and again j. '"
Buell. foreman OF the freight docks, called out all
he tho sheds aud set them to work to help tho
nrenen. Phelan. superintendent OF the grain
elevators, got the employees out OF the big buildings ana
much Of the work OF saving tho adjoining freixht
piers Nothing could have saved tho other piers aud the
elevators however II the burning OIL had been carried
down the river much farther Luckily the tide turned IN
time aud tho piers briow ier did not take hrc ,,r,.
g II. Hode and the excursion barge pnIrlm; Inc Inc
ode TOOK IRE as soon as bH Hg p w1a' ss u in charge
James shear He vas sitting In the once when tho
ro the rver started and he appreciated .no s.ua
tho nocJng ropes aud let the barge drt tru'ha 70
the cd@ ro AIRY her out OF danger @ me g9s & a'ISis $
carried her directly into tho nfc she moro than
Freight AGENT Haskell rot to tho fire before all the
nrcmen there. when the situation was explained
atom the pumping OF oil through tho broken pipe As
soon as the ,upply OF oil was cut of the flames
they had ceased element OF danger. Pier was
Iurnod down TO tho water The eos Thar Was % har sro
en- assisted by tho tug boats Indian and Brilliant
ocomotiye pulled down part o, ,hs e'evaeu SS G usse @
tance OF six blocks was so badly charred thati
RAILROAD officials thought that the damage by the fro
would DO less than 100000. Pier was built by the
300 Il wa, total loss The freight the pier
10 be worth about OOO The and other
Irop,rty OF tho company In the shed probably were
worth about the same sum the coal wharf the dam
age was estimated roughly at $4,000. The barge
r grim was worth ST. damaged TO the ox-
tent uf $1,000 A. Dngs. OF Albany. is the owner and
IL "A ,ad insured. The loss the y ii. Hode was
ABOUT $1,000 That barge SAID to belong TO the rail-
road It will cost $1,000 or more To repair the
da ina gcd bu.khcad. ~,
Rumors OF loss OF life at the fire caused by tho
call for hospital steamer OF the Department OF Char
tiles an, Correction. There Is standing rule to send
amUuiances auy rc for which third alarm Is sound
ed As the city amDu.ances could not DO taken 10 the
fire on tho river front AT Seventiethst without great
trouble II was thought best TO send a steamer
At tho Office OF the Standard OIL Company was stated
the reports yet received were meagre aud until more
DEFINITE information received only vague idea OF
the facts could he nven. far was known tho OIL
pipes from Wechawg TO the Sixty-nnth--t piers hau
been brozcd by dredging boat that was at work near
by There no until tho boat broke the pipe and
the oil oaed up The loss to the Standard was said 10
DO small